With the Beatles riding a wave of renewed popularity, Paul McCartney has begun work on a new album of original material.

The record, which does not yet have a title or projected release date, will follow up the Grammy-nominated Liverpool Sound Collage, McCartney's experimental collaboration with the Welsh group Super Furry Animals, among others.

According to his spokesperson, McCartney will work in a yet-to-be-determined capacity with David Kahne  who has worked on Sugar Ray's 14:59, Sublime's self-titled album and records by the Bangles and Fishbone  on the new album. Also involved in the project is Geoff Emerick, who engineered many Beatles albums. Neither accompanying musicians nor a studio location has been announced.

If McCartney does not complete his record this year, he will still be part of what will likely be one of the biggest success stories of 2001: The Beatles 1, a compilation of all the Fab Four's U.S. and U.K. hits, has sold about 20 million copies, and dominated the top spot on the Billboard 200 for seven straight weeks before being toppled by Jennifer Lopez's J.Lo on last week's chart.

Liverpool Sound Collage will compete in the Best Alternative Music Album category at the Grammys, set for February 21 in Los Angeles.